Jurgen Klopp foils Liverpool’s €100m transfer plan

News

Martin Macdonald | Writer

Content writer covering football, formula 1 and movies

Liverpool’s big summer transfer plans promise to be thwarted by Jurgen Klopp, who has taken a decision that could block the Anfield club from two deals that Arne Slot’s side have been eager to explore this summer.

The Reds are coming off a season of disappointment, during which they failed to offer a serious defence of their Premier League title and limped into fifth. This was despite a record summer spend a year ago.

Liverpool are set to be undeterred by that disappointment and are showing faith in manager Slot, who they are ready to furnish with big-money signings in time for the start of the 2025/26 season.

Several areas of the squad have been pinpointed for improvements, with a new central defender, a new midfielder and a left winger all expected to arrive at Anfield over the summer.

If they had hoped they might get a favour from Klopp, though, they were sorely mistaken. Their iconic former manager appears to have slammed the door on two excellent possibilities to strengthen Slot’s ranks.

Klopp and Leipzig stand firm on Diomande

Klopp is playing his part in directly blocking Liverpool’s dream target of RB Leipzig winger Yan Diomande. As head of global soccer for the Red Bull group, he provides strategic oversight for clubs, effectively allowing him to pull the strings in deciding which transfers should be made and which should be blocked.

Leipzig’s return to the Champions League next season has seen them put a firm barrier up when it comes to a move for Diomande, who only arrived at the club in a €19 million deal from Leganes last summer.

Compared

Yan Diomande

F (RL)

RB Leipzig

Yan Diomande

F (RL)

RB Leipzig

VS

Bradley Barcola

F, AM (L)

PSG

Bradley Barcola

F, AM (L)

PSG

€30.4M	ETV	€70.6M
€27.3M - €33.4M	ETV Range	€63.5M - €77.6M
19 years old (14 Nov, 2006)	Age	23 years old (02 Sep, 2002)
Cote d'Ivoire	Nationality	France

While there have been rumours that the Bundesliga giants might accept a deal in the region of €100m for the Ivory Coast talent, The Mirror reports that Leipzig are “adamant” the 19-year-old will be going nowhere.

But this stance has a knock-on effect elsewhere for Liverpool. The Reds had lined up PSG winger Bradley Barcola as an alternative. The France international, however, would only have been put up for sale if the Champions League holders won the race for Diomande – something that now looks impossible.

READ MORE: Liverpool's new €100m Salah successor who could eclipse Diomande, Gordon and Barcola

Yan Diomande: The Roc Nation agency battle that threatens a deal

There is a further complication in the Diomande case involving a legal dispute over his agent.

He seemed to have teed himself up for a summer transfer when it was announced following the close of the winter window that he had changed agency to Roc Nation, founded by Jay-Z.

Jay-Z’s stable includes players such as Real Madrid star Vinicius Junior and Arsenal’s Gabriel Diomande, but while Roc Nation’s website has the biography of the Ivory Coast international beside such players, there is a dispute as to who is legally allowed to represent him.

Maxidel Management, which was formed by former Leeds star Max Gradel, claims that the RB Leipzig star is still their player.

It announced a contract extension with the player via Instagram on 1 January and has since released a statement:

“It is therefore with great surprise that we are now discovering that an engagement may have been made in parallel with another agency, outside of any proper procedure and without respect for our contractual rights.

“In light of this situation, Maxidel Management will take all necessary measures to protect its rights and defend its interests through the appropriate legal channels.”

The Mirror reports that the issue has been referred to the Court of Arbitration for Sport.

Until this legal dispute over Diomande’s status is resolved, there is no prospect of a transfer. And that suits Leipzig and Klopp just fine.